AASU wants special constitutional status for Assam and N-E

Guwahati: The All Assam Students Union (AASU) wants special constitutional status for Assam and the North East with the indigenous people's right over land and natural resources, besides deportation of illegal Bangladeshis.

"The illegal Bangladeshis in Assam have been changing the demographic pattern here and were a threat to the nation and the survival of the indigenous people of the state. We want a special Constitutional status", AASU advisor Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya said today.

"We want constitutional safeguards, an economic package under the Assam Accord, an Upper House with representatives from various ethnic communities here, introduction of inner line permit system and 100 per cent reservation for locals in assembly", Bhattacharya told reporters.

"The Union Home Minister had told Parliament that the demographic pattern in Assam has changed due to the illegal Bangladeshis. Then why no steps have been taken to deport them. We warn both the central and state governments and the political parties that our agitation would be intensified if they failed to detect and deport illegal migrants", he said.

The AASU had launched the six-year long anti foreigner agitation 30 years ago for solution of the migrants problem. "But the Indo-Bangladesh border has not been sealed, the National Register of Citizens not updated and even the identified foreigners have disappeared. All the political parties only want Bangladeshi votes", he alleged.

Zo Indigenous Forum (ZIF) is a human rights-based indigenous people’s organization founded in 2009 in Mizoram, Northeast India. The organization’s mission is to provide quality and informed support to grass roots and community based groups and organizations on development issues, civil society and democratic participation for sustainable development based on respect of human rights, equity and justice, valuing the strength and role of women, children and young peoples.